HomeAid Orange County | Los Angeles

HomeAid OCLA seeks out opportunities to improve the lives of those who are struggling to stay sheltered in our communities.

In 1989, leaders in the building industry of Southern California engaged in a revolutionary project: the renovation of an old farmhouse in Irvine into affordable housing for at-risk families. This one-off project opened the door to an innovative new idea: a charitable branch of the building industry that donates their expertise, labor, and materials towards construction to reduce the overall cost of the project. HomeAid's story of helping people facing housing insecurity began.

What makes HomeAid OCLA special is how our community comes together to make our work possible. Our Builder Captains and their partners generously donate materials, expertise, time and labor toward our projects. Sometimes HomeAid OCLA owns the building; other times, we serve as the bridge between a nonprofit operator and the builder who steps up to bring the project to life. Each project we build brings us one step closer to closing the housing insecurity gap.

HomeAid OCLA strives to be a vital force in creating safe and dignified housing for those in need while also improving and expanding critical resources like diapers, wipes and non-perishable food items. Beginning in 2008, HomeAid began adding new Community Engagement programs that bring together local businesses, community groups, sponsors and donors to collect millions of essential items for our neighbors in need. Diaper and food insecurity often go hand in hand with housing insecurity. As we work collectively with our community partners to bring more resources to programs that help people heal, rebuild and move forward, we can see the deep impact our work is having in our communities. HomeAid Orange County | Los Angeles is the founding affiliate of HomeAid America. There are 20 HomeAid affiliates operating across the United States.

HomeAid OCLA has completed 107 different housing projects since 1989. These include emergency shelters, bridge housing units, and affordable housing projects.

In late 2024 HomeAid OCLA opened FX Residences in Santa Ana, CA, a 16-unit permanent supportive housing project owned by HomeAid OCLA that serves chronically homeless individuals. La Veta Village, an affordable housing project for families and senior adults in the city of Orange opened in the summer of 2025, bringing the second HomeAid-owned project to completion.

HomeAid OCLA's Community Engagement programs, include two annual donation drives, the Diaper Drive and the Holiday Food Drive. Since 2008, the Diaper Drive has brought in over 14.5 million essential items, including diapers, wipes, and baby food, to be distributed to at-risk families. In 2025, our Holiday Food Drive collected almost 23,000 lbs. of non-perishable food items, resulting in 19,055 meals for individuals and families struggling to put food on the table during the holidays.

In total, HomeAid OCLA's housing and community engagement programs have served an estimated 100,000 individuals without a place to call home and continue to serve an estimated 15,000 more each year.

On any given night in Orange County, there are an estimated 6,000 individuals going to bed without a safe and dignified place to call home. Homelessness can happen for a variety of reasons – job loss, a health crisis, the death or abandonment of a caretaker, or domestic abuse. A rapidly growing factor of individuals losing their homes has become the growing divide between average earnings and the cost of living.

The lack of affordable housing has increased demand for apartments, which only leads to the increased cost of renting. When someone loses their home and begins to experience homelessness, their life is fundamentally changed. All their time and effort must be spent on finding enough food and shelter for a 24-hour cycle. This can be especially difficult for families, who have a larger threat of being separated once entering homelessness.

Falling into homelessness and poverty can happen to anyone given the right circumstances, and it is difficult to break out of. In the 2023 California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), 89% of all participants stated that high housing costs negatively affected their ability to reenter permanent housing.

HomeAid Orange County | Los Angeles partners with donors, sponsors, community and civic partners to meet the basic need for shelter and affordable housing by increasing the number of safe beds that are available.

All of Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties of California.

I am often asked, why HomeAid? When I think about the answer, I’m reminded of all the dedicated and generous people throughout the 29 years I’ve been at HomeAid Orange County | Los Angeles, who have contributed their time, resources, and financial support to raise awareness about our mission.

The resiliency and enthusiasm I’ve witnessed firsthand time and time again for what we do, regardless of the challenges we often face, humbles me and fills me deeply with gratitude.

With housing affordability continuing to be at the forefront of our conversations, our goal for 2026 is to be positioned in a way that allows us to respond with the greatest impact. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that life can change on a dime, and we need to be prepared. The unwavering support of donors like you allows us to lead and play an important role in the conversation about homelessness in our community. This is more important than ever as we see families and single adults struggling to make ends meet, which pushes them into a greater risk of homelessness.

The journey we’re on together can be challenging but it is also tremendously rewarding when we hear the stories of lives being impacted by the work we do. So, as we look ahead to 2026, may the achievements of this year propel us forward with gratitude toward a legacy of building a future without homelessness.

- Gina Cunningham, Executive Director

Profoundly impacting people’s lives through housing is an opportunity you are a part of as a supporter of HomeAid Orange County | Los Angeles. The stories from individuals and families impacted by the work we do are a powerful testament to the generosity of our donors, sponsors, volunteers, and project partners. As a contributor to our mission, thank you for your commitment to HomeAid OCLA and for believing that together, we can build housing for all in our community.

- Tim Paone, Board President